Excavating cableway



T. S. MILLER.

EXCAVATING CABLEWAY. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1920.

1,438,6@8 Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I- E} WNW! b .INVENTOR. WITNESS:

k N w a Vf l ATTORNEYJ g Q T. S. MILLER. EXCAVATING CABLEWAY. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1920.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- T. S. MILLER. EXCAVATING CABLEWAY. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 29. 1920.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922..

5 $HEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTQR.

"@ATTORNEYI W1 TNESS:

T.-'S. MILLER. EXCAVATING CABLEWAY. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1920.

1,438, 608, Patented DEB-12, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- W I TNESS:

INVENTOR.

BY 2) I ATTORNEYS T. S. MILLER. EXCAVATING CABLEWAY. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1920.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

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Patented Dec. l2, lbZZ.

EXCAVA'IIHG- CABLEWAY.

Application filed September T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Srnnonn MIL LEE. a citizen of the United States, residing at South Orange, in the county oi Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in EX- cavating Cableways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in cableways, and more particularly to that character or type wherein adigging bucket is suspended from a supporting cable or trackway, and is operated to take loads at a point or points along the cableway, and to transport such loads and dump the same at the point or points desired. The invention particularly contemplates the provision of improved means whereby a digging bucket may be operated at the requisite high power and with the minimum of frictional losses to take its load and be hoisted, and to transportthe bucket, either when loaded, or empty, at a. relatively high speed along the cable or traokwa-y. The invention also contemplates an improved power-multiplying means for operating a bucket-operatin g line, which will atford the desired power to close and hoist the bucket, and which will, at the same time, permit the bucket being hoisted close to its supporting carriage, thus permitting the use of cable-supporting towers of less height than required by the old constructions, wherein the bucket even when hoisted to its highest point was supported at a consider able distance below the supporting cable or trac rway.

The invention consists in the improve ments to be more fully described herein-- after, and the novelty of: which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my in vcntion in the accompanying drawings to be taken as a part oi this specification, and wherein- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a cableway embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a head tower of the cableway.

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a. diagrammatic view or layout of the cableway, and of various parts asso- 29, 192d. Serial No. 413,547.

elated therewith for operating the digging bucket.

Fig. 5 is a diagramniatic top plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 4d

Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation of the opening and closingloucket shown in Fig. 4,

and showing the connection of the operating lines employed in connection therewith, looking at the same from either the right or left of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of one "i? rm of carriage for supporting the bucket from the cableway, and the various parts on the carriage for controllingthe bucket-operating lines.

Fig, 8 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the drums and guide members on the carriage for operating the bucket.

i Fig. 9 is a view in rear elevation of means for anchoring the main cable at the tail tower.

10 is a view in rear elevation of means for anchoring the main cable at the head tower.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view, with certain parts in section, of a winding drum engine for controlling the various lines of the cableway, and

Fig. 12 is a view in side elevation of the winding'engine shown in Fig. 11.

Reterring tot-he drawings by characters reference, 1. designates a head tower, and 2 .1. tail tower, which may be of any suitable structure, and are mounted respectively on platforms 3, l, which in turn are mounted on wheeled trucks o adapted to travel on parallel trackways 6. Stretched bet. een the said towers 1, 2, is a main stupporting cable or trackway 7, one end of the same passing over the tail tower, and provided with a loop 8, in which is held a grooved wheel 9 in a frame 10, in which is journalled a grooved wheel 11 through which pass the runs of a line 12 constituting a split anchorage, one end oi? said line 12 being anchored to the base of the tower, as at 13, while said line is passed in a plurality of looped runs through said wheel 11 and guide wheels A, anchored to said base, the other end of said line being anchored or secured, in any suitable manner, as at 15.

The opposite end of the main cable is passed above the head tower l, and carries a grooved guide wheel or block 16 through which passes a split anchorage consisting of a line 17 anchored at one end, as at 18, to the base of the head tower, and having a plurality of looped runs passing through said wheel 16 and blocks 19 anchored on the base of the headtower, the opposite end of line 17 being anchored or secured to said base, as at 20.

Mounted to travel on the main cable is a carriage, consisting of a frame 21, preferably built up of side members or frames of structural steel elements 22, connected and braced by cross members 23. Pivoted, as at 2 1, on this'car'riage frame are bearing members having grooved bearing wheels 26 j ournalled therein, which are adapted to rest and travel on the main cable, and by which the carriage is supported from the main cable. The members 25 also carry running wheels 27 to travel on a button rope 28 carrying stop-buttons 29 to catch fall-rope can riers 30. The rope 28 passes over guide pulleys 28 on the head tower and 'is tensioned by a weight 28 suspended from said rope 28. The carriage carries a frame 31 having means to cooperate with said fall- 'rope carriers to receive and discharge the same in a well-known manner, for example, as shown, described and claimed in my prior United States Letters Patents Nos. 984,486, February 14:, 1911, and 1,033,436, July 23,1912. e

32 designates the outhaul line, that is, that line adapted to haul the carriage toward the tail tower, said line having one end connected to a split connection 32*, which in turnis connected, in an suitable manner, to the carriage, as at 33 see Figs. 4 and 5). From the carriage the outhaul line passes lengthwise of the c-ableway and over a grooved guide wheel 34- on the tail tower, and then down and around a grooved guide wheel 35 on the tail tower, from which it passes upwards and over a guide wheel 36 on the tail tower and then along the cables way to the head tower, where it passes over a guide wheel 37' and thence down and is wound upon a flanged winding drum 38. Also connected to the carriage is an inhaul line. d0, the connection being preferably made by a loop ll at the end of said line passing around a grooved sleeve 42 on a shaft or pin 43 suitably secured in the side members of the carriage frame. From the carriage the inhaul line extends lengthwise of the cableway to the head tower, where it passes over a guide wheel as and then down to and is wound upon the drum 38 in the opposite direction from the out-haul line 32. It will be seen that when the drum is rotated in one direction, the inhaulline will be wound thereon and the outhaul line paid out, so that the carriage will be traversed toward the head tower, whereas, when the drum is rotated in the other direction, the outhaul line will be taken up and the inhaul line paid out, whereby the carriage will be moved in the outhauling direction. The construction and operation of the drum employed in the preferred embodiment will be described presently.

Rotatably mounted on a horizontal axis -14 of rotation at one end of the carriage frame is a diiferential drum 45, comprising a central relatively large flanged drum 46, and laterally disposed relatively smaller drums i? concentric withthe drum 4:6 and attached thereto to rotate therewith. At the other end of the carriage frame is a similar differential drum 48, including a central. large drum 19 and smaller lateral drums 50. l vound on and having one end attached to each of the drums 47 is a holding line 51, said lines passing from said drums over guide wheels 52, 52, on the shaft 43, and thence downward and connected, at 53, 53, to a sus aension member 54, from which is suspende an opening and closing digging bucket of any suitable form, adapted to be operated by what is generally lmown as a holding line and a closing line. It will be understood'that the ends oflthe lines 51, wound on the drums 47, 47 are attached to the latter by any suitable means. To the drum 46 is connected one end of an operating line 56, which passes from said drum over an intermediate guide wheel 57 mounted on a shaft 57 on the carriage and between said difilerential drums d5, d8, said line being carried from the wheel 57, and thence under a guide wheel 58, from which it passes along the cab-leway and over a guide pulley 59 on the head tower, and then downwards and wound upon one part 60 of a two-part winding drum 61, by means of which said line is paid out and taken up. The line 56' and the holding lines 51 are wound on the drums 4-6 and 47, respectively, in opposite directions, so that lowering of the bucketresults in winding of line 56 on the drum l6, and unwinding of the lines 51 from the drums 4 7, while a pull on the holding line 56 produced by winding the latter on the drum 60 serves to rotate the differential drums to wind the lines 51 on the drums 47.

Wound on and having one end attached to each of the drums 50, respectively, are bucket closing and hoisting lines 62 which extend over guide wheels 63, 63, having bearings on the carriage, and then down to and wound on an operating wheel 65 of bucket opening and closing means, to which wheel the end of each of said lines is attached, as at 66. The bucket and its operating means be of any well-known structure operated to be closed and held closed by pull exerted on the said closing lines. Attached at one end, as at 67, to the drum 4:9, and

1,ass,eoe Q wound thereon in the opposite directionv from the winding of the lines 62 on the drums 50 is an operating line 68, which extends through the carriage and under the guide wheel 58, and then passes lengthwise of the cableway and to and over a guide wheel 69 on the head tower. From the said wheel 69 the said line 68 depends in the form of a loop 70, one limb of which is carried over a guide wheel 71 on the head tower, and. then down tothe part 72 of the two-part drum 61, previously mentioned. In the bight of the loop is arranged a sheave wheel 73, mounted in frame 7 in which is also mounted a sheave wheel 7 5 over which passes a loop-pulling line 76, the

end of which on one side of the sheave 75 1S anchored to the head tower in any suitable manner, as at 77, the portion of said line on the opposite side of the,sheave 75 beingpassed down under a guide block 78 suitably anchored to the head tower, and then to a winding drum 79 by means of which the loop-pulling line is paid out and taken up.

It will be seen that the differential drums 45 and 48 are arranged at the ends of the carriage, and that the guide pulleys for the closing and hoisting lines 69, and for the holding lines 51 are arranged at a point between said differential drums and adjacent the center of the carriage, so that all of the operating lines for the bucket are located within asmall space at the center of the carriage, and pass from the carriage to the bucket without intermediate guides, sheaves means may be provided for controlling and 1 driving the winding drums 38, 60, 72 and 79, heretofore described, but Iprefer, for purposes of simplicity and ease of control, to combine the same in a single structure so that they may be conveniently operated by a single source of power, and controlled by a single operator. I have shown such an engine generally in Figs. 11 and .12, in which 80 designates a bed frame upon which is mounted a reversible electric motor 81, of any suitable construction, and controlled by any well-known form of controller. The armature shaft 82 of this motor is provided at one end with a brake disc 83 with which cooperates brake elements 8% operated and controlled by a solenoid in such manner that when current is thrown on the motorthe brake is released, and when the supply of.

current to the motor is out Oh the brake is automatically set. As this brake structure in and of itself specifically constitutes no part of my present invention, it do not deem it necessary to specifically show ordescribe the same. The opposite end of the armature shaft carries a pinion 85 which mesheswith a gear 86 loosely mounted on a drum shaft 87, mounted in suitable hearings in the sai bed frame, and upon which shaft the drum 38 for the inhaul and outhaul lines is loosely mounted. Onits face adjacent one head of the drum, the gear 86 is provided with a friction clutch element 88, adapted to cooperate with an annular clutch element 89., mounted on and carried by the adjacent end of the drum 38. At this opposite end from that upon which the gear 86 is mounted, the shaft 87 is provided with a thrust collar 90 and a thrust pin 91 adapted to be operated by any suitable form of manually controlled thrust mechanism 92 for urging the drum toward the gear 86 to establish a driving connection between the clutch elements 88,

89, and also to relieve such clutch engagement when it is desired to permit the drum to run free or be disconnected from the gear 86. In the present form the thrust means 92 may be of the type operated by compressed air supplied through a suitable supply pipe 93, by any suitable manual control.

11 one end the drum 38 is provided with a brake flange 93 with which cooperates any suitable form of band brake 94, by which rotation of the drum may be retarded or prevented when disconnected from the gear 86. It will be seen th when the drum is driven in either direction, that the outhaul and inhaul lines wound thereon will be correspondingly operated to traverse the can.

riage in one direction or the other lengthwise of the cableway, and that when the drum is disconnected from the gear 86 and the brake 94 applied, said lines will be held to thereby hold the carriage at any desired point where the load is to be taken or dumped. The pinion 85 also meshes with a larger gear loosely mounted on a shaft 96 having bearing in the bed frame, and upon which is mounted the two-part drum 61, heretofore described, said gear having;- an annular 'riction clutch element 97 cooperating with an annular friction clutch element 98 on the adjacent end of the drum, whereby the latter may be connected to the gear to be driven thereby, or disconnected therefrom, as may desired. At its opposite end from that adjacent the gear 95, the sh aft- 96 is provided with a thrust collar 99 operable by a thrust pin 100 by means of amanually controlled thrust mechanism 101 to thrust the drum lengthwise of the shaft to connect said friction clutch elements 97, 98, or to relieve the contact between the same to disconnect the drum from the gear One end of the drum 61 is provided with a brake flange 102, with which cooperates a manually controlled brake 103, of any suitable construction, wherebythe rotation of the drum may be retarded or stopped when the drum is disconnected from the said gear 97. It is to be noted that the gears 86 and 97 are or the same size, and that the drums 61 and 38 are also of the same size, so that when said elements are simultaneously driven, the lines controlled thereby will be taken up or paid out at the. same rate of speed. The shaft 96 is provided with an extension 102 having suitable bearings in the bed frame, and upon which is mounted the drum 79 for the loop-pulling line, and on said shaft 'is keyed a friction element 103 adapted to frictionally engage a cooperating friction element 104; on the head of said drum, a suitable thrust collar 105, thrust pin 106 and manually controlled air thrust 107 being provided to urge said drum towards said clutch element 103 to. establish a driving connection between the drum and the shaft when it is desired to pull the loop 70 in the closing line for the bucket. The drum 79 is provided with a brake flange 108 with which cooperates any suitable form of hand brake 109, which may be operated manually to retard or hold the drum 79 when the latter is disconnected from the clutch ele ment 103. v

The operation of the invention is as follows :It being assumed that the parts are in the same general relation shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, that is, with the bucket raised and closed by tension applied upon the holding line, and the bucket is located adjacent the point where it is to take a load. W hen the parts are in the general. relation just described, the operator disconnects the drum 38 from its driving gear 86 and applies the brake 9 1 to hold said drum stationary, and thereby hold the inhaul line 40 and the outhaul line 32 so that the carriage "is held stationary. At this time the drum 7 9 is the weight of the bucket causes the latter to descend, thereby pulling out the lines 51 and 62 from the drums 17 and 50, respectively, and at the same time winding the lines 56 and 68 on the drums 46 and 49, respective1y.

. The bucket having descended upon the material to be excavated, the brake 103 is ap plied to hold the drum 61, and the drum 79 is placed in driving connection with the clutch 103, whereupon the motor is energized to cause the drum 79 to take up the loop-pulling line, thereby pulling a loop in the line 68 causing the latter to revolve the drum 19, and consequently the drums 50 to take up the line 62 to close the bucket. The

bucket having been closed by the operation ofthe loop-pulling line 76, the brake is released tt'rom the drum 61, and the latter is moved into driving engagement with the gear 95, and the motor is then energized to cause the drum 61 to wind the lines 56 and 68 thereon to rotate the drums d6 and i9 to cause the lines 51, 62 to be wound on the smaller drums a7, 50, respectively,whereby the bucket is held closed hoisted toward the carriage to the position it is to take when being transported along the cableway. When the bucket is hoisted, the drum 38 is relieved of its brake and is thrown into driving engagement with its gear 86, whereby the holding rope 56, the closing rope 68 and the in haul rope 4-0 are wound in at the same time and at the same. speed, the outhaul rope being also paid out to permit the carriage to be inhauled. Thus the carriage comes in by the cooperation or". the three main ropes mentioned being wound in, and one branch 01 the outhaul rope being paid out.

When the bucket reaches the point at which it is to be dumped, the conveying drum 38 is disconnected from its gear and held by the brake 94, and the drum 79 is then permitted to pay out the line 7 6' to slacken the loop 70, which results in the closing rope being lengthened or paid out, which permits the digging sides of the bucket to open until the load is dumped.

After the load has been dumped, the next operation in die cycle is to return the carriage and bucket to the point at which a new load is to be taken. This is accomplished by reversing. the operation of the inhaul rope,

the closing rope and the holding rope, the same being paid out, and at the same time the outhaul rope is wound in to outhaul the carriage,under which conditions the carriage with the bucket directly under the same and open passes outwards to the point of excavation. The next operation is to lower. the bucket to the point where it is to take its load, this being done by holding the drum 38, and consequently the carriage stationary, and then disconnecting the drum 61 from its driving gear and permitting said drum to rotate under brake, whereby the holding. line and the closing line pay out, and the bucket is lowered until it strikes the material to be excavated, whereupon the cycle of operation is repeated, as above set forth. 1

From the above description, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be seen that by the use of the difierential drums 45 and 18 I am able to provide the requisite high power desirableto close the bucket to dig and take its load, and also to hoist the load, and that said differential drums constitute power-multiplying means which are located wholly on the carriage structure, and not occupying any space beneath the carriage between the latter and the bucket which would limit or reduce the head room between the bucket and the carriage. A

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a cableway, in combination, a main cable, a carriage thereon, an opening and closing bucket suspended from the carriage, a closing line and a holding line for the bucket, means \for traversing the carriage and bucket, power-multiplying drums for operating said closing line and holding line, and lines for operating said power-multiplying drums, the operation of said lines being controlled from a single station.

2. In a cableway. in combination, amain cable, a carriage thereon, an opening and closing bucket suspended from the carriage, a closing line for the bucket, a powermultiplying device mounted on the carriage for operating said closing line, an operating line connected to said device, and a traversing line for the carriage, the operation of said lines being controlled from a single station.

3. In a cableWay, in combination, a main cable, a carriage thereon, an opening and closing bucket suspended from the carriage, a closing line for the bucket, a power-multiplying device supported on the said carriage, said power-multiplying device acting on said closing line, a traversing line connected to the carriage. and a line for actuating said device to close and hoist the bucket, the operation of said lines being controlled from a single station.

4-. In a cableway, in combination, a supporting cable, a carriage thereon, traversing means for the carriage, an opening and closing bucket, drums joiunalled. on the carriage, a closing line and holding line for the bucket wound on said drums, respectively, and power-multiplying means mounted on the bucket and connected to said drums, and power-operated lines for operating said power-multiplying means, and means for controlling the operation of said traversing means and said lines from a single station.

5. In a cableway, in combination, a supporting cable, a carriage thereon, an outhaul line and an inhaul line :for traversing the carriage, an opening and closing bucket suspended from the carriage, power multiplying devices consisting of differential drums each having relatively larger and smaller portions mounted on the carriage,

a. closing and hoisting line for the bucketwound on the smaller portion of one of said drums, a holding line wound on the smaller portion of the other of said drums, and an operating line wound on the larger portion of each of said differential drums.

6. In a cableway, in combination, a main cable, a carriage, means for traversing the carriage lengthwise of the cableway, a pair of power-multiplying differential drums journalled on the carriage, a pair of closing lines operated by one drum, a pair of holding lines operated by the other drum, a digging bucket operated by said closing and holding lines, and means for controlling the traversing means and said lines from a single station.

7. In a cableway, in combination, a main cable, a carriage, means for traversing the carriage along the main cable, a pair of differential power-multiplying drums on the carriage, a pair of closing ropes operated by one drum, a pair of holding ropes operated by the other drum, guide means between said drums for guiding said holding and closing ropes, and a digging bucket operated by said holding and closing lines.

8. In a cableway, in combination, a main cable, a carriage, means for traversing the carriage along the main cable, a pair of power-multiplying drums on the carriage, a pair of closing ropes operated by one drum, a pair of holding ropes operated by the other drum, guide wheels between said drums over which pass said lines, and a digging bucket operated by said holding and closing lines.

9. In a cableway, in combination, a main cable, a carriage, means for traversing the carriage along the main cable, a pair of power-multiplying drums on said carriage, each of said drums including an operating drum and relatively smaller drums, a pair of closing ropes operated by one of said pairs of smaller drums, a pair of holding lines operated by the other pair of said smaller drums, operating lines for rotating said larger drums, and a digging bucket operated by said holding and closing lines.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER. Witnesses:

FRANK M. MILLER,

JAs. E. Lnnwrrn. 

